This invention relates to consistometers for measuring the consistency of a dough sample, and particularly to a consistometer having an improved construction for precisely measuring vertical displacement of a rod into a dough sample. Also, this inventon relates to consistometers having interchangeable penetrating rod ends.
This invention may also be adapted for use as a consistometer for measuring any of a variety of edible food products, including but not limited to breads, pastries, fillings, cookies, crackers, laminated food products, or any other edible goods which have a measurable consistency.
In the conventional consistometers, a weight is released against a dough or food sample. The dough or food sample is respectively penetrated to broken. The prior art testers commonly use gauges to measure displacement, the gauge usually being directly connected to a testing arm which moves into the dough or food sample. Such consistometers do not have conveniently interchangeable penetrating rod ends. Moreover, such prior art consistometers do not have a readily variable weight attached to the vertically displaced penetrating rod end which could be used to adapt the consistometer for varying doughs or varying materials to be tested. Also, since the prior art consistometers that rely on a dial indicator for precise measurements have included it with the dropping rod assembly, the weight of the rod cannot be measured independently of the dial indicator. This is undesirable, in that a consistometer ideally should be usable with any of a variety of food products or doughs, and in order to provide the most significant measurements the weight of a falling mass used to penetrate the dough or food product sample must be variable, and should be susceptible of precise measurement without complete disassembly of the consistometer. Furthermore, the rod should be separately removable from the consistometer without disturbing the dial indicator so that the rod assembly may be periodically cleaned and inspected without contacting the dial indicator. Such contact or bumping of the dial indicator in a disassembly operation might ordinarily damage it or cause a previous calibration to become inaccurate. Also, dial indicators are easily suspectible to being broken or otherwise damaged by impacts such as might occur if the dial indicator were removed from its support stand.
Other prior art devices, which do not use dial indicators, have simpler operation and structure but are not as precise as those devices using a dial indicator. In such devices, marks have been placed along one moving part and the gross movement is detectable by relative movement of the marks against a second, fixed part. While being convenient to use, these devices suffer from a lack of accuracy. Furthermore, in these devices, objective measurements are very difficult to obtain since the point of view of the observer and the acuity of the observer's vision are influencing factors in the measurement which is ultimately recorded by the observer.
The prior art consistometers employ release mechanisms of varying types. However, the prior art release mechanisms either reply upon complex linkages or else are clumsy and awkward to use with one hand if an observer if using the other hand to operate a stopwatch or timer. Thus, ease of operation is an important quality in a consistometer, as is reliability and accuracy.
Attempts have been made in the prior art to overcome the disadvantages associated with the prior art consistometers. Typical of the prior art attempts to solve the above-noted problems associated with consistometers is the type disclosed by Claus in U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,082 and Bloom in U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,699. Other inventors have made varying attempts to solve the above-identified problems, and those effects are also discussed below.
U.S. Pat. No. 1,458,130 discloses a process and apparatus for classifying food products, wherein a C-shaped support portion having a forked upper arm slidably retains a cylinder having a variable weight (a shot-bearing cup) attached to the top. The weight is supported upon a horizontal disk. The slidable cylinder has interchangeable striking members attached to the bottom thereof, a striking member being retained in place by a setscrew. A baking sample is elevated slightly above the lower portion of the C-shaped support member by a pair of rails which are parallel to, but offset from, the elongated striking member. In testing the samples, the total weight of the rod assembly (including the upper shot-bearing cup and the lower striking member) is measured, and the rod assembly is allowed to fall a predetermined distance so as to break the baked good sample. If, however, the baked good sample does not break, more weight is added to the shot-bearing cup and the process is repeated. However, no dial indicator is used for measuring displacement, nor are rod-shaped, alternate plungers used as striking members. Furthermore, the upper disk portion of the vertically traveling rod is not used to measure vertical travel.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,119,699 discloses a consistency tester having a dial pressure indicator attached to the uppermost end of a cylinder, the lower end of the cylinder having a slidable piston mounted therein which is attached at its lowermost extremity to a special head used to penetrate a food product sample. Glycerin is retained in the otherwise hollow portion of the upper end of the cylinder so as to transmit force from the movable rod to the pressure gauge. The special heads are interchangeable, and the vertically movable rod has a shoulder thereon for limiting downward travel through the hollow cylinder. In operation, the consistency tester is pushed into a dough sample until the special head has completely penetrated the dough sample. From this point on a constant pressure reading will be obtained, and this reading may be compared with other dough samples. However, a C-shaped support stand is not shown not is a horizontal disk used to displace an instrument arm to provide a measure of vertical displacement of a rod. Furthermore, no dial indicator for indicating vertical travel is shown.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,347,082 discloses a method and apparatus for testing dough, having a vertically adjustable dial indicator mounted to an upstanding support rod which is attached fixedly to a bottom table support. A rounded dough contacting element is vertically centered beneath the dial indicator. Three vertically adjustable support arms are also attached to the rod between the dial indicator support arm and the lower table portion, the uppermost and the lowermost arms used to constrain the vertical movment of a rod which passes through openings in each of the arms. The rod is attached at is uppermost portion to the dial indicator and at its lowermost portion to the dough contacting head. A third arm between the two constraining arms has a hanged joint therein. The extremity of the jointed arm contacts a vertically hanging, adjustable support arm which can be pivoted out of supporting engagement of the extremity. The pivoting support arm contacts a pin fixed to the vertically movable rod so that disengagement of the support arm permits the rod to fall downward from an accurately predetermined distance. The dial indicator measures vertical displacement of the rod. Upon release of the load on the dough specimen, a stopwatch is started to that the amount of compression can be read at definite time intervals and recorded to indicate any variation in the time compression reading. In a second embodiment a counterweight is used to accurately balance the weight of the specimen engaging member so that only a selected amount of weight is applied to the dough sample regardless of the position of the testing apparatus. However, a C-shaped support member having a dial vertical travel indicator at an upper extremity thereof with a vertical travel indicating rod adapted to contact at an upper end of the dial a portion of a vertically movable rod is not shown. Further, interchangeable dough contacting elements are not shown, nor is a setscrew shown to engage the rod to limit vertical downward travel of the rod to limit vertical downward travel.
The U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,631 shows a softness gauge for bakery products wherein a hollow, cylindircal support element receives a rod member with a weight attached to its top, and a dough contacting element at its bottom. A portion of the rod within the cylinder is exposed so that a calibration mark is visible thereon, and corresponding marks are present on the portion of the cylinder closely adjacent the exposed portion of the rod so that relative travel of the rod and cylinder may be readily measured. In use, a dough sample is placed directly under the rod, the weight released, and vertical travel downwards measured. However, no dial indicator for indicating vertical relative movement is shown, no C-shaped support is shown having a dial indicator attached to its upper extremity for contacting an upper portion of a vertically movable rod which has a setscrew for adjusting a predetermined distance of fall for the rod. Further, no interchangeable dough contacting elements are shown.
The U.S. Pat. No. 3,750,467 discloses a device to measure compressibility of soft materials. Here, an overall C-shaped stand has three rods. A middle rod has calibrating indicia thereon and has at its top a support ring for attaching to the uppermost extremity of the top support. On either side are two rods which are constrained to move along a vertically fixed axis. The rods are fixedly attached at their lower extremities to a dough contacting element. In use, the ring is disconnected from the uppermost support member, and vertical travel in a downward direction of the assembly against a dough sample is measured by observation of the relative displacement of the indicia upon the indicia bearing rod relative to a fixed plate. However, no dial indicator is shown for measuring vertical displacement PG,10 of a fixed rod member. Further, no interchangeable dough contacting elements are shown, nor is a dial indicator shown which is attached to an extremity of an upper C-shaped support member.
The French patent No. 903,602 shows a fixed support plaform for a movable rod. The rod has a calibrating mark thereon and is placed centrally within apertures in support member. A vertical scale is placed closely adjacent to the calibrating mark. In use, the support member is placed upon a dough sample and the weight is released. Vertical downward travel of the weight into the dough sample is then recorded by comparing the relative beginning and ending levels of the rod. However, no C-shaped support member is shown having a vertical travel indicating dial indicator thereon at an upper extremity thereof, nor is there shown a rod mounted for vertical travel within the upper C-shaped member such that its upper portion bears a horizontal surface for contact with an operatively attached rod of the dial indicator for indicating relative movement therebetween. Further, no interchangeable dough contacting elements are shown.
The French patent No. 1,206,824 shows a more complex device for indicating travel of a rod within a support member. However, no C-shaped support member is shown which supports a dial indicator to an upper arm, nor is contact shown of a rod with a horizontal surface of a vertically movable member. Further, no interchangeable dough contacting elements are shown.
Russian patent No. 506,804 discloses a complex consistency measuring device for use with soft food products. An indenter is motor-driven into a tested sample and a dynamometer measures the consistency while a potentiometer measures the electrical resistance so as to indicate food quality. However, no C-shaped support member is shown for supporting at its upper arms's extremity a dial indicator having a rod operatively attached thereto for contacting a horizontal upper surface of a vertically movable member for contacting a dough sample. Further, no interchangeable dough contacting elements are shown.